Is an alligator chomping the Buc-ee's beaver logo?

1of31Some of the cool and crazy things you can buy at Buc-ee'sIt's not a real Texas road trip without a stop into Buc-ee's. Here's some of the things we saw for sale at the Buc-ee's in Luling on a recent trip.Photo: Brett Mickelson

28of31AND FINALLY ... THE CANVAS BAG: Because as silly as Buc-ee's goodies sometimes seem, we still love them and will need something to take them all out to the car in.Photo: Brett Mickelson

29of31Choke Canyon Travel Center's alligator lacks a name.

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31of31Buc-ee's contends that the Choke Canyon Travel Center operator has filched the style of its logo, along with the look and feel of its locations, including its oversized restrooms.Photo: Julio Cortez, Staff

Before Buc-ee's, it wasn't much fun to stop for gas.

The chain, headquartered in Lake Jackson, has become the semi-official rest stop of Texas, luring customers with the image of a smiling bucktooth beaver and offering them clean and plentiful bathrooms, a wide variety of Texans' favorite foods and an endless supply of Lone Star kitsch.

But now an alligator is trying to chomp the beaver.

Buc-ee's has sued the San Antonio-based operator of Choke Canyon Travel Center for promoting its barbecue and other travel essentials with its grinning, lip-licking, hat-wearing, finger-pointing alligator. The alligator sits in a circle - much like Buc-ee's beaver - and adorns a wide range of products, from sweet and salty snacks to bags of ice to T-shirts.

The alligator, however, doesn't have a name.

The sign to Choke Canyon Barbecue features a round, yellow background with the face of a smiling alligator. The owner's of the Buc-ee's convenience store chain say the logo is too similar to its logo, which also features a round, yellow background with a smiling beaver.

To many people, cartoon characters may not seem worth a federal case - the lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Houston - but companies fiercely protect trademarks from anything that might muddle them. Earlier this year, one local portable toilet company sued a competitor over the use of the Texas state outline and a Lone Star in its logo.

Companies have many reasons to protect trademarks, said Betsy Gelb, marketing professor at the University of Houston's C.T. Bauer College of Business.

Retailers, such as Buc-ee's, are often concerned that customers may transfer the happy feeling they get shopping at their locations to stores owned by competitors that have similar looks and feels.

It's not confusion exactly, like travelers thinking the convenience store with the alligator is the same as the one with the beaver, Gelb said. But the cheery beaver conveys an image of fun and clean bathrooms, and when travelers see something similar, it reminds them of Buc-ee's, she said. And they think: "Oh! Let's stop here."

The case, which was filed late last year, alleged that the Choke Canyon convenience store, along with Choke Canyon Bar-B-Q and Choke Canyon Exxon, infringed on Buc-ee's trademark by copying the look and feel of the roadside retailer, which has grown to 27 locations across Texas. Choke Canyon has three locations in and around San Antonio.

Neither the owner of Choke Canyon or his lawyer returned calls seeking comment.

Besides the logos, Buc-ee's alleges that Choke Canyon copied several other features, including oversized bathrooms, numerous fuel pumps, ample parking and a similar looking soda station. Buc-ee's first learned of its competitor in December when it began receiving inquiries from vendors and customers about the Choke Canyon Travel Center, according to the lawsuit.

L.M. Sixel writes about the economy and the workplace for the Houston Chronicle. She writes a weekly column called "Working" that appears each Thursday.

She started her newspaper career at the Beaumont Enterprise. Before that, she earned a Bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master's degree in economic history from the London School of Economics.